Monday, March 10, 2008

The Electra Woman and Dyna Girl .... that could'a been!




I had heard about this a few years ago, but never really thought much about it, however it seems that in the Fall of 2001, the WB network commissioned a pilot to be made of a new Electra Woman and Dyna Girl to be set in contemporary times. The concept first originated on the 1976 Sid & Marty Krofft Supershow segment of the same name, which followed the crime-fighting exploits of female caped crusader Electra Woman, and her teenage sidekick Dyna Girl. In each episode, the duo (who secretly worked as reporters for a magazine) would don skintight spandex (in a bright flash of light called an "Electra-Change") hop in their Electracar, and use an array of technically advanced gadgets to thwart an eclectic collection of super villains. They were assisted by Frank Heflin, a scientist at their "ElectraBase" who kept in contact with the pair through their "ElectraComs". The original version ran for only sixteen weeks and starred Deidre Hall as Electra Woman/Lori and Judy Strangis as Dyna Girl/Judy.

The 2001 version written in the form of a cynical parody of both the original show [which had also playfully lampooned the same genre] and superheroes in general, was set 25 years after the original series ended, with a retired Electra Woman brought back into action by an old fan of hers who then ended up becoming the new Dyna Girl. This pilot presented Electra Woman as a disillusioned and bitter, sexually promiscuous alcoholic, much in contrast to the character's original saccharine portrayal. The new pilot also explained that Electra Woman had been married and divorced, with her unseen husband having left her for the original Dyna Girl. Although the pilot was actually shot, the series was not picked up by the network. The new pilot starred Markie Post as Electra Woman and Anne Stedman as Dyna Girl.

It's really too bad that this one never got a shot, because although the pilot needed a few kinks worked out, it is really not too bad - - - as far as these things go. Markie Post's more adult take on the character was hilarious, fetching and perhaps unintentionally nostalgic and Anne Stedman infused a perky, quirky air into her role as well.

When you get a chance go to You Tube and check out the episode which is broken into two short parts.

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